Rediscovering Almalaguês: A Strategic Design Approach to a Traditional Portuguese Hand-Weaving Technique

Abstract

This paper presents a collaborative research initiative involving a design approach to Almalaguês, a hand-weaving technique from Coimbra, Portugal, possibly dating back to the eleventh century. According to research findings, Almalaguês textile faces an uncertain future. The technique remains largely unacknowledged despite its historical and cultural significance, and creative potential—a situation that this initiative aims to address. The associated research culminates in Cortebel® 50, a Brand Archaeology project that pays homage to the industrial legacy of an iconic Portuguese footwear manufacturer, Cortebel®, in its 50th year of operation. The objective is to understand locally specific brands and their products in relation to their contextual frame of reference, enabling the discovery of their essence and how they represent local traditions, cultures, and people. The recovered knowledge serves as a generative resource for further applicability in contemporary contexts. In this case, the outcomes include the rediscovery of an ancient culture of weaving in Almalaguês, and its contextual hybridization in a new area of application—footwear. The creative approach involves exercising tenets of Brand Archaeology and Designrascar methods, in an industrial setting beset with infrastructural and resource-based constraints. The methods endorse a hands-on approach to design, and acknowledge both circumstantial constraints and cultural significance as factors that inspire imaginativeness beyond understood thresholds. Within this project, strategic partnerships have been formed with local associations, governmental bodies, industries, and academic institutions, to form a network that can help preserve and sustain the production of Almalaguês fabrics.

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